A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you appoint one or more trusted people to make decisions for you if you lose mental capacity or need help managing your affairs.
This means your wishes are still followed, even if you’re unable to make or communicate decisions yourself.
In the UK, there are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA):
This allows your Attorney (or Attorneys) to help manage your financial matters, including:
This allows your Attorney(s) to make decisions about your health and personal welfare, including:
Anyone over 18 can be an Attorney — this might be a family member, friend, or a professional such as a solicitor.
What matters most is that you choose someone you trust and who understands your wishes.
A few things to think about when choosing your Attorney:
In the UK, there are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA):
This allows your Attorney (or Attorneys) to help manage your financial matters, including:
This allows your Attorney(s) to make decisions about your health and personal welfare, including:
Anyone over 18 can be an Attorney — this might be a family member, friend, or a professional such as a solicitor.
What matters most is that you choose someone you trust and who understands your wishes.
A few things to think about when choosing your Attorney:
An LPA lets you choose who will manage your affairs, so someone you trust is in control if you can’t make decisions yourself.
Without an LPA, your loved ones may face a long and stressful court process to gain permission to manage your affairs.
Knowing your affairs are in safe hands brings real peace of mind — for both you and your family.
If you don’t have an LPA and you lose mental capacity, your family or friends would need to apply to the Court of Protection to become a deputy. This process is more time-consuming and costly than setting up an LPA.
You can. However, as this is a formal document that needs to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), we recommend seeking professional advice from Estate Planning experts like us at Joslin Rhodes to avoid unnecessary delays or confusion.
Yes, you can change or cancel your LPA at any time as long as you have the mental capacity to do so. To cancel an LPA, you need to send written notice to the Office of the Public Guardian.
Yes, you can have both a Property and Financial Affairs LPA and a Health and Welfare LPA, each covering different aspects of your life.
A Property and Financial Affairs LPA can be used as soon as it is registered, with your consent. A Health and Welfare LPA can only be used if you lose mental capacity.
Not sure what would happen to your money, property, or care if something unexpected happened?
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